You’re More At Risk Of Catching Zika Virus If You Live In Texas

Zika virus has been making its way across North and South America at an alarming rate in 2016. Places like Brazil, which is the center of the outbreak, Colombia, Venezuela, and Central America are combating the virus as quickly as they can. The World Health Organization issued a global emergency a few months ago.

The disease is spread by mosquitoes and can cause birth defects if a pregnant woman is infected.

Although most of the confirmed cases of Zika in Texas have been travel-related, there has been one sexually-transmitted case contracted in Texas. And everyone who lives in Texas knows that we're rife with mosquitoes, so the possibility of getting bitten by an infected insect is prevalent.

Although Texas has not seen the most cases in the U.S (that would be Florida), we still have one of the highest risks of an outbreak.

Make sure you wear insect repellent and cover exposed skin while you're outside to prevent mosquito bites, especially if you are pregnant or may become pregnant.